Surprising Soul Mates
by DownWiththeShip0390
Summary: Hermione Granger actively tries to reconfigure the marriage law and does her best to make sure the matches are appropriate. Eventual Dramione. Gonna start fluffy and get a little angsty.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: obviously this is not the quality of work usually associated with JKR... so we can safely assume I don't own the HP universe.

"I think you're making a mistake." Hermione Granger spoke up from the back corner of the Wizengamot in a rare moment of quiet.

50 wizards and witches dressed in purple robes of distinction turned simultaneously to look at her. A sea of mixed expressions adorned their wrinkled and mostly bearded faces.

"I beg you pardon, Ms. Granger, but I don't think I have to remind you that you are not a member of this exclusive group. You are but a voice to represent the few - the very few - of the group that you uniquely identify with. Not a vote. A voice. And you have shared your dissenting opinion many times over the course of this debate."

Hermione stood carefully so as to see everyone, and perhaps to feel less like a schoolgirl on the end of a reprimand. "I understand that my position on this council is as a non-voting representative of the muggleborn population in Wizarding Great Britain. But if I could just note - again - that this law you are on the verge of implementing will effect more than muggleborns, it will be changing the futures of an entire generation of witches and wizards. You will not be affected by this at all. Unlike me." That last comment was said quietly under her breath but by the scowl on the grey-haired wizard sitting closest to her it did not go unnoticed.

"Be that as it may, Ms. Granger, unless you have a NEW idea that is impossible to pass up, we will be continuing with our work now." The head of the wizengamot turned around effectively dismissing her but she spoke up again quickly.

"Actually, I did just remember an ancient spell that might be more effective than posting a list of matches in the ministry hall." She snuck a side glance at the witch who had suggested that little addition to the law.

"You have three minutes to give us your explanation before it's time to break for tea. If you can't convince me that your theory is a better one that our law - which is already written and ready to be signed - then I'm sorry to say that you'll be the first to be matched." The old wizard hardly looked sorry, in fact his long beard was twitching with a barely concealed smirk.

It took everything in Hermione to keep her eyes from rolling at his expression, but with a deep breath through her nose and a long exhale through her mouth, Hermione began to succinctly explain her idea.

"There's an ancient spell created by Merlin that was reportedly used one time with excellent results. It's a soul mate spell and potion combination. A group of people take the potion and have the spell cast on them. A small mark appears above the thumb of the wand hand and will glow in the vicinity of the soul mate. My plan would have the group of people you'd like to include in the marriage law brought together to experience the spell."

Hermione paused and looked around at the appraising looks, trying to judge whether the faces were showing her approval or dismissal.

The old bearded wizard in charge spoke again, "there appears to be potential in your method, Ms. Granger, but I'm concerned about the time frame. With the law as it's written, the matches would be paired up through questionnaire results and required to bond immediately upon being selected. How would you suggest we perform the selections if we don't known who is paired with whom?" He sat down and raised a thick white brow in challenge.

Hermione was not to be deterred. She had stayed up all night considering every angle of this process once she had discovered the spell in an ancient Merlin text. "I would suggest that the young people are eased into the idea of being forced to marry for the sake of strengthening the community and building the population. The spell and potion could be administered during a celebration - a gala perhaps - and once everyone is aware of how the magic works, they would be told the time frame. Perhaps a 6-month interim where matches could get to know each other and come to, if not love each other, at least respect one another. Rather than being forced to marry immediately, they'd have the opportunity to get used to the concept of marriage. Some of us never intended to marry or have children."

Hermione bit out that last thought with more irritation in her voice than she'd intended, but it couldn't be helped. She was annoyed. In fact, she was enraged that her life plan was being so dramatically altered and she had no say in it. She was going to be the youngest Potions Master/best-selling Historian/and most revolutionary Headmaster of Hogwarts that the Wizarding world had ever seen. Her grand plans did not leave room for a husband or children. She shivered at the thought. Not that she had a problem with children, she loved to babysit Teddy, but she also loved giving him back at the end of the day.

The old wizard stroked his beard in thought and glanced around the room, "there is potential here, Ms. Granger. Perhaps even merit in your idea. Let's break for tea. When we return in an hour we can put this plan to debate and see if we can hammer out enough details to be able to vote before supper." With that final statement a gavel was slammed and a quiet roar of voices echoed around the room, nearly drowning out Hermione's thoughts.

She'd done it. Well, nearly. She'd gotten them to consider the idea as an alternative to their half-baked scheme that would have brought turmoil to all of the British Wizarding world. She tried to surpress a grin as she made her way slowly out of the room, up the lift, and across the street to the quaint Muggle café with the best Earl Grey and scones with clotted cream in all of London. She grinned into her tea cup and mentally patted herself on the back.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter for my take on the marriage law concept. I expect this story to run about 15 chapters long if I stay true to the outline I have sketched out. It will ultimately be Draco/Hermione, but I'm going to try and do a slowish burn rather than the smutty one-shots I generally do. There will definitely be lemons galore once the action really gets started, so the M-rating is there for a reason!

Ok. After the longest author's note EVER... please review and let me know what you think!

Xoxo Court


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione Granger held her breath as her eyes quickly scanned the Wizengamot chamber, counting the 'ayes' for passing her version of the marriage law. It looked close, but she thought she'd done it.

"And the ayes have it. Article 98792.01, otherwise known as Marriage Law 2002, has been passed and awaits the signature of the Minister for Magic." The old man in a purple robe and gold stole slammed down the gavel, causing more than a few wizards in his vicinity to jump slightly. "Session dismissed."

Immediately the room filled with the chatter of the court as they descended the stands and headed out of the chamber. Hermione waited a beat to allow some of the crowd to filter out towards the lift before making her way across the room.

"Ms. Granger! A moment of your time if you please."

At the sound of her name, Hermione paused at the threshold of the giant room and stood off to the side, allowing those behind her to pass and waiting for the man who caught her attention to make his way to her.

He was slow. Or perhaps she was anxious and ready to tell her friends of her accomplishment and he only seemed slow.

The old man was nearly to her side. No. He was just slow. She held in a huff of impatience.

"I'll see you at Chess Night at Alfred's house, Matthias. Don't forget to bring the firewhiskey, you lost last month." A hunch-backed witch winked at the Head Judge and shuffled out of the room, leaving Hermione and the old man alone.

The man scowled slightly and turned to Hermione. "Word of advice: don't bet your best bottle of 200-year-old firewhiskey on a game of chess when you can barely beat your 5-year-old grandson at the game. You'll lose every time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow in confusion, "thanks for the advice, sir."

He nodded in acknowledgement and clasped his hands over his wide belly. "You're probably wondering why I asked you to stay behind. I'm sure you're anxious to tell your triumphs to your little friends. However, I must ask that you refrain for the moment. Ms. Granger, I am about to give you the biggest responsibility of your young life. I discussed it with my deputy council over tea and we've decided that should your plan pass, you be the one to organize and implement it. Other than passing this law, everything else will be in your hands." He paused as if to gauge her reaction but she was completely stoic. He frowned and carried on with his short speech.

"Another word of advice: don't put all the pressure on yourself. Get yourself a committee. Delegate. Make this the best damn version of hell it can be. Because that's what the reactions from your peers will be, Ms. Granger. They will treat this law like it is a one-way ticket to a burning pit of fire. If it weren't for your spell and potion idea, it might have been. So. Make us proud. We leave this all in your very capable hands." The man nodded his head and slipped out the door before Hermione could fully process what had happened.

Emotions. So many emotions filtered through her. Excitement at the enormous responsibility. Fear of failure. Hatred of the law itself. Anticipation for all the work she'd be doing. And then Anger.

That old geezer. The only reason they left it to her was in case it crashed and burned there'd only be one direction to point the finger. One person to blame. Her. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool stone wall. Sweet Merlin. This was insanity.

Hermione made her way to the lifts slowly. In her mind she'd already begun assembling a committee of five members to help her implement the new law.

"Harry, of course. He's influential and will be able to help convince people that this could be a good idea. Perhaps Professor Slughorn could help with the potion or suggest a capable alternative…" Perhaps she'd need more than one person to help her brew the potion. She'd need a large quantity of it after all.

"Talking to yourself, Ms. Granger? That's the first sign of insanity. Should I be assisting you to St. Mungo's?" She could almost hear the teasing smirk in his voice and when she glanced up at the man standing in the corner of the lift her suspicions were confirmed.

"Thank you, _Mr_. Malfoy, but I'll have to decline your offer. If you must know, I've just been given a nearly impossible task and I've no idea how to accomplish it. Especially the fancy – hold a tic…" Hermione held up a finger as if actually expecting him to pause and wait for her brain to figure out a solution before voicing it. He froze. More out of shock at her gall than obedience, however. "Doesn't your mother host grand balls a few times a year?"

Draco Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Never in a million years would he have guessed Granger would be asking about his mother, but he answered her, "Yes. She's known for throwing elaborate galas that has every witch and wizard in high society clamoring for an invitation. Her winter ball is the highlight of the social season according to _Witch Weekly_."

It was almost cute how obviously proud Malfoy was of his mother's party-planning. Hermione almost grinned but quickly tampered her expression down to a small quirk of the lips. No need to show too much enthusiasm too quickly.

"Do you think she would accept an invitation to brunch?" At his confused expression, Hermione clarified, "with me? I have much need of her expertise that will literally put her down forever in history books if she manages to pull off this grand feat."

Draco was very confused at the turn the conversation had taken, but considered her question carefully before automatically shouting NO in her face as he might have in previous years. Would his mother go to brunch with Hermione Granger? Probably not under normal circumstances. Would she go with an opportunity for grandeur and prestige – even more than she already possessed – on the line? Quite possibly.

"Quite possibly, Granger, quite possibly. Shall I tell her to expect your owl?"

Hermione did smile this time – beamed at him in fact, causing his to stumble a bit as he exited the lift at the Atrium. But she wasn't the cause of his misstep, the lift was obviously faulty. Someone should check that out before there was a serious injury.

"Thank you ever so! I'll compose it immediately upon return to my office. Her expertise will be enormously helpful. Have a wonderful afternoon, Mr. Malfoy!" Hermione stepped back from the doors as two witches squeezed in and the doors shut.

This was a very exciting first step. Of course, Mrs. Malfoy hadn't accepted her invitation yet, but she would. And the gala could be considered done and dusted. Next step was the tricky spell and potion distribution. She'd need to put a lot of thought into who could help with such a powerful spell.

A/N: So Draco and Hermione have their first interaction. Yay! It's a few years after Hogwarts and they both work at the Ministry in some capacity. It's my vision that they would be formal acquaintances and be polite to each other rather than hostile. I'm SUPER excited to write Mrs. Malfoy. I've seen so many versions of her character and can't wait to put my own special twist on it. I have a couple of ideas for who else should be on Hermione's committee, but I'd love some input from y'all.

Please review!

Xoxo Court


	3. Chapter 3

If she wasn't a 20-year-old officially certified Potions Master with three published research studies, Hermione Granger would be sorely tempted to stamp her foot in frustration. But she _was_ both officially licensed _and_ published so she refused to allow herself to give into temptation.

"I don't think you understand the delicacy of this issue, Mr. Jackson. I simply cannot tell you why I must meet with Mr. Perryman with such urgency. You do not have the security clearance." Hermione somehow managed to look down her nose from her 5 foot 2 frame at the much taller man blocking the doorway in front of her. She almost managed to look intimidating. Almost.

Mr. Jackson, the "security" ( _glorified receptionist_ , Hermione thought) stood adamantly between the young witch and the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. "And I don't think you understand, Ms. Granger. _You_ do not have the security clearance to enter this department. You are not an Unspeakable. Mr. Perryman is. Therefore, you cannot speak with him." Well. That was unnecessary.

Normally Hermione did not like to draw attention to her lauded title of 'War Heroine,' but desperate times and all that. "Now see here. Do you know who I am? I must speak with Mr. Perryman, and I must speak with him immediately! It's a matter of State! If you refuse to get out of my way, I will have to move you."

While Hermione was assessing her attack strategy, Mr. Jackson nodded his head at a portrait of a long-deceased and mostly distinguished Someone, who disappeared with a reciprocating nod.

"Ms. Granger, I feel obliged to inform you that should you attack a Ministry employee and attempt entrance into a department for which you do not have security clearance, official charges can be brought against you." Mr. Jackson had his feet planted in a wide stance in front of the door with his wand held loosely by his side. He was not an altogether intimidating figure, but his words gave her pause. Did she want to deal with the hassle? She raised her wand with an internal shrug, the Wizengamot would understand… probably. She stepped forward and readied herself to attack a Ministry employee. It took a moment to brace herself against the crushing feeling of breaking a rule.

" _Incarcerous. Silence_." The loosely held wand was remarkably quick on the draw. Hermione fell flat on her back unable to decide if she was more infuriated at the ropes winding around her from ankle to shoulder or her loss of speech.

A familiar blond-haired man suddenly blocked her view of the surprisingly clean ceiling. "Ms. Granger. I don't know whether to be shocked at your threatening of a Ministry employee or unsurprised given your quiet rebellious tendencies displayed in school. Nevertheless, I'm afraid I must escort you back to your office. Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Jackson." Draco Malfoy heaved her up by the ropes and studied her red cheeks and narrowed eyes. "If you promise to cooperate I'll remove the spells so we can have a nice chat about appropriate office conduct." He tried to appear stern but the fact that _that_ particular turn of phrase left _his_ mouth and was directed at _Hermione Granger_ was just too much. He laughed. Her eyes narrowed into slits and her blush spread to her ears, but she nodded in agreement.

" _Finite Incantatem._ "

The ropes disappeared and the brunette took a deep breath in preparation for an angry tirade, but Draco quickly cut her off.

"Let's wait for the lecture until we are safely shut into your office with a nice _Muffliato_ in place, eh? No need to air your dirty laundry in front of your co-workers." He nodded his head at the security wizard still in front of the door and glanced at the curious head of the lift operator peering out to witness the commotion. She quickly understood.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." The phrase was soaked in sarcasm and spite and was spit between gritted teeth, but she followed his advice and allowed herself to be led quietly back to her office, fuming the entire time that Malfoy would be so level-headed and act as witness to her losing her cool.

 _"Muffliato_." As soon as the door was shut and the spell cast, Draco sprawled out in the blue velvet armchair in front of her desk in apparent ease. "Now if you cooperate with my questions and provide a thorough explanation for my report, no charges will be filed and we can each go our merry ways. Deal?" He had pulled a Quick-Notes Quill and a creased bound notebook from his robe pocket and looked at her expectantly.

"Fine. But I'm not sure how much I can tell you. Honestly. It's information from a Wizengamot closed session. Not public knowledge. I simply needed to see Mr. Perryman."

"Did he request your presence?"

"No. But –" The quill scribbled across the notebook.

"Did you make an appointment or attempt to do so?"

"No. But –" The quill scratched out her answer again.

"Was your wand drawn with intent to harm or maim Mr. Jackson?"

"No! I was just going to disarm him and perhaps _Stupify_ him to get through the door…"

Draco raised an eyebrow and tapped his index finger against his lip thoughtfully. "Were you aware that Stupifying a Ministry employee is a finable offense of up to 500 galleons?"

Hermione's eyes widened at the amount and shook her head. "It really wasn't for anything nefarious. I swear it! I had to speak with Mr. Perryman. It's an urgent matter that must be dealt with in short time."

"I see. I think that's good enough for my report. It's just a misunderstanding and no one was harmed. But I must implore you not to try intimidation tactics to gain entrance to places you should not be. Next time there will be consequences." Draco gathered his quill and notebook and shoved them roughly back into the depths of his robe before clasping his hands behind his head and leaning back comfortably. "Now. Off the record. What's really going on?"

Hermione quickly weighed the pros and cons of explaining the entire situation to the man in front of her. Pro: He worked in the Department of Law Enforcement and clearly took his job seriously. Con: It was Draco Malfoy. Pro: He hadn't purposefully antagonized her since their Hogwarts days, so he'd probably behave appropriately once she explained the Marriage Law and all of its components. Con: It was Draco Malfoy.

"Anytime today would be nice. Preferably before I take a tea break." Draco crossed an ankle over a knee, showing a flash of a green sock with embroidered golden snitches.

A heavy sigh sounded across the room as Hermione decided her pro/con list was rubbish and biased and really she had no other choice but to finally share her secret with someone. Or to at least partially share the secret.

"I'm in need of a Potions Master to assist me with a complex draught. I could do it myself – obviously – but I need such a large quantity that it would be better to have more than one wand working on it. Mr. Perryman was recommended to me from Professor Slughorn. His mastery license is long expired but he provided me with a few names that might be willing to assist me for only some small recompense." Hermione moved to sit on the edge of her desk in front of the blond. Her sensible pumps were not as sensible as she had originally believed and she really needed to just kick them off, but she'd settle for a quick lean to remove some pressure.

Draco's grey blue eyes lit with a certain mischievousness that Hermione had learned to be wary of. "Didn't you only recently complete your mastery exam?"

"Yes… you know this."

"How do I?"

"You received your results right next to me, Malfoy. I'm sure you heard my shout of success." Hermione rolled her eyes as his smirk grew wider.

"Why was I next to you?" He paused to allow her time to connect the dots. For someone constantly touted to be the "Brightest Witch of the Age" it sure took her long enough to make simple connections.

Hermione scrunched her eyebrows and then almost hit herself in the face. It was so obvious.

"Because you also passed your Potions Mastery. That's literally your job for the DLE. You create defensive potions. And I'm officially an idiot for taking so long to remember that."

"Not an idiot. Perhaps overly consumed with wanting to work with the brilliant Mr. Perryman? I hear he's quite a catch. Tall. Still has all his teeth – most of them original. Only slightly breathes out of his mouth. And is expected to live at least another 20 years before he finally wastes away from old age." Draco leaned forward into Hermione's personal bubble. She leaned back slightly. "How can I help with your oh-so-secretive-and-incredibly-difficult potion, Ms. Granger?"

Rather than run through another useless pro/con list Hermione decided to take the opportunity presented to her and accept his offer of assistance. "You can come to a council meeting where we will further discuss the potion, its origin, and its purpose. Tuesday, noon. I've reserved the small conference room off the main Wizengamot chamber. I realize it's during the lunch hour so I'll provide sustenance."

"Excellent. Happy to be of service. Especially of the secretive variety. I won't even expect monetary payment. Until then." Draco rose suddenly and was out the door before she had time to process what she had just done.

Well, that was one official council member. Hurrah. Only four more to convince.

"Harry Potter. Please just listen to me. You're being foolish." Hermione forced herself not to give into the childish instinct to stick her tongue out at him. Although it would probably make her feel better, that wouldn't help the situation.

"I am listening, Hermione. You want me to use my 'fame' and 'glory' to bring awareness to and put a positive spin on your ridiculous law! Well I won't do it. You'll have to find some other way to convince all the lemmings to follow your plan." Harry Potter swept a hand through his already ruffled hair and paced in tight circles around the small office, further wearing a path into his poor rug.

Hermione took a breath and tried again to reason with her friend. "Listen. Whether or not I was involved with this, some form of the law was going to be passed. Because I stepped in with a solution for pairing the marriages, there's no chance that people will be unhappy with their matches. Everyone paired will be soulmates. Who doesn't love the idea of a soulmate? It's romantic. Mesmerizing. People eat that up." Hermione didn't necessarily believe in it herself, of course; it was highly unlikely that on a planet of four billion people there was only one person that she was destined for. But other people did believe it. And if it helped her to accomplish the roll-out of this law smoothly, well then she'd suspend reality and feign her belief for a little cooperation from her peers.

"Besides, I'm not really asking you to do much. Just be a positive influence when people ask you your opinion on the law – which they undoubtedly will." Harry attempted to interrupt her but Hermione charged on, "And furthermore, you're already happily married so this doesn't even affect you! Just smile and be good press. Please. That's all I'm asking."

"Well, I guess. But honestly, Hermione, this is the last publicity stunt I pull for this damned administration. The. Last. One."

She through her arms around the man as he made another pass around the carpet and nearly smothered him in her riotous curls. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The first meeting is on Tuesday, noon. I'll have lunch set out in the small conference room off the main Wizengamot chamber. Malfoy will be there, so you should be on your best behavior. Thanks, again! Bye Harry!"

Hermione rushed out of the room before Harry could object to participating in the meeting or to the mention of seeing his old school rival. Sometimes it was best to leave him to stew.

A/N: I loved the suggestions for council members! There are three more seats available, who do you think should join the committee?

Up next: Brunch with Mrs. Malfoy!

Review please!

Xoxo Court


	4. Chapter 4

"Am I too early?" Draco Malfoy leaned against the door jamb with a casual elegance only he could pull off. He glanced at the shiny gold watch on his wrist and tossed his satchel onto the conference table before sitting down in front of it. "Oh well, it couldn't be helped. My meeting got out early just one floor above so I came straight over. Hope it's no problem."

Hermione couldn't quite muster up annoyance. "You're only 15 minutes early. It's no problem." Not a problem indeed. With no witnesses she didn't quite have to hide her frequent glances at her colleague. There was something about that forest green MLE-issued sweater that did things to her. Made her sick probably. The fluttering in her belly couldn't be anything more than a prequel to the stomach flu. She turned back to the napkins if only to give herself something to do.

"This looks great. Did you go to Callie's on 5th?" His voice came from directly behind her and the closeness caused Hermione to startle and drop the napkins she'd been fidgeting with.

"Here. I've got that." Draco bent down and snagged the cloth off the ground and reached around her to place them neatly next to the silverware.

"Thanks. Help yourself. Callie gave me extra cucumber sandwiches. They're my favorite." She had no clue why she shared the tidbit of information, but it gave her an excuse to grab a sandwich and stuff it in her mouth before sitting at the head of the table. Anything to get away from his delicious spicy scent. Unless that was the sandwiches.

The blond had filled a plate and settled back at the table. "So, I know I'm a brilliant Potions Master, but you didn't have to agree to let me help you. What convinced you?"

Draco tried to act nonchalant as he asked the question, but it was a hard sell.

Hermione took a bite of her sandwich rather than answer right away. She chewed slowly and ran through all the various answers she could give him, but settled on the truth. "I reckon it's because you're different from how you were in school. We studied together a bit for the Potions exam and I enjoyed your company and saw the mastery in how you brewed. You'd be helpful in this situation and to be honest, I'd say your a good man now, and I like to surround myself with good people to encourage myself to make good choices. Have I said 'good' enough times yet?" Hermione stopped her babbling and blushed, stuffing another bite into her mouth as a distraction.

A good man? Draco could never recall being labeled that before. More like 'evil' or 'cunning' but not good.

He wasn't sure he liked that label. He had to break her of that belief immediately. "I'm hardly a good man, Ms. Granger. Here's an easy way to tell between your kind and mine - " Draco could practically see the steam out of her ears and winced at his poor choice of words.

"Excuse me. My kind? What do you mean by that?"

"You interrupted before I could explain. I meant, your kind - the good guys - and my kind - the evil bastards." Draco leaned back in his chair and continued, "anyway. What extreme would you go to for your friends?"

"I'd die for them." Hermione answered before she could even think about it. It was a complete no-brainer. She'd been prepared to die for her friends and her beliefs during the entirety of the war.

Draco chuckled at her predictability. "That response is exactly what makes you good. You'd die, but I would kill for those I love. You see the difference?"

"That doesn't necessarily make you a baddie." Hermione scoffed at his insinuation. She could probably kill someone to save a friend's life. But that'd be something she'd have to live with forever. It'd be much better for her psyche if she could die for a friend. Then she wouldn't have to live with any guilt because she'd be... you know... dead.

Draco laughed suddenly and almost choked on the baby carrot he'd just popped into his mouth. "What'd you call me? A baddie? I love that. That's what I want to be called from this point forward." The blond shoved his sleeves up a few inches and leaned back.

Hermione blushed again. And not because forearms were her weakness. It was just hot in that small conference room.

Draco took pity on the curly-haired woman and changed the subject. "Who else is joining us? I haven't spoken to my mother since before she received your owl, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say she might have something to do with this."

Hermione smiled at his deduction and his grace at changing the topic. He really was intelligent. She was looking forward to working with him again. "Yes. Your mother agreed to participate after I explained the situation at our brunch. It was quite lovely and I'm looking forward to collaborating with her. Harry will be here, too. I'm hoping he'll agree to be head of the publicity for this thing. It might take some convincing from all of us."

"Contrary to what I thought at school, Potter isn't a fan of being in the spotlight." Draco raised a skeptical eyebrow as he wiped the corners of his mouth with the napkin. "I've worked with him for a few years now in the MLE office. He never takes interviews and makes his partner answer reporters' questions. Are you sure he's on board with this?"

Hermione felt a twinge of respect for Draco. He knew Harry and knew that this wouldn't be what he wanted. But as much as she knew that as well, she also knew that she absolutely had to have his public support or this whole things wouldn't work. Her head and heart were torn, but as it frequently went, her head was winning the tug-of-war.

"I know. But his help is crucial to this being a success. I'm hoping he'll understand that and put aside his concerns of publicity for a short period of time."

Draco shrugged and continued to work through the mini sandwiches he'd stacked on his plate. "If you say so, Boss."

Hermione didn't appreciate his doubt, but only because she had enough of her own to deal with. Just as she was about to give what was sure to be a witty retort, there was a quick tap on the open door.

"Happy National Friendship Day, team of secretive council members!" Luna Lovegood stood in the doorway carrying a tray of cupcakes with glowing frosting.

"Happy Friendship Day, Luna. What do you have there?" Hermione smiled at her eccentric friend and gestured at the cupcakes. She's been so healthy with her lunch choices, but Luna's homemade frosting was always impossible for her to turn down.

Draco gave a nod to the newcomer. Hermione noticed him eye the cupcakes with interest, but continue to eat what food was left on his plate. She hid a smirk, he was almost as bad as Ron when it came to interest in food, but his table manners were far and above the redhead's.

Luna set the tray next to the sandwiches with a flourish. "I know how much you love my cupcakes, Hermione, so I brought you a dozen to share in honor of the special day and your special meeting."

"You're so thoughtful, Luna!" Hermione counted to ten in her head so as not to seem to eager before getting up to snag a blue frosted one that looked like it might be red velvet. Luna smiled serenely and sat down across from Draco.

"I'm very excited to be a part of this. Spell experimentation is such a thrilling career, but it's mostly a solo adventure. Don't want to endanger anyone, you know. It'll be great to work with a partner. Speaking of, will I be working with you, Draco?"

Draco tossed his last bite of peach slice wrapped in prosciutto into his mouth and looked at Hermione. He didn't know the answer. Luna was sitting in the rolling chair with her knees pulled up and crossed like a kindy-kid. She certainly didn't look serious enough to be a spell-creator. Merlin he hoped he wasn't working with the blonde girl. She looked like she was a hazard waiting to happen.

"Actually -" Hermione's answer was cut short due to the arrival of the last three members of her council: Mrs. Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Padma Patil. "Perfect timing! Come in, grab a plate, and we'll get started."

"This spread looks delicious, Ms. Granger. I think you could have done just fine without me. Though I must admit how excited I am to start planning. I've already been tossing around some themes." Mrs. Malfoy leaned down and gave Hermione an air kiss on each cheek before tousling Draco's hair, much to his dismay.

"Hullo to you, too, Mum. I'm doing well, thanks. How are you?"

"Darling, don't interrupt. It's rude." Draco rolled his eyes dramatically but his mother didn't seem to notice as she made her way over to the food.

"Hermione. Thanks for getting us lunch. I only have an hour before I have to get to a briefing. Oh! Are those mini grilled cheeses? Excellent." Harry tossed a folder next to Draco to claim his seat, and hurried over to claim his favorite lunch item.

"I'll make the meeting as quick as possible, Harry. I don't want to take up everyone's entire lunch break with work." Hermione had made sure to get the grilled cheese sandwiches just for her best friend. Because he liked them. Not as a subconscious bribe. Obviously.

The muggleborn turned towards the woman lingering in the doorway. "Padma, please come in! Get some food and make yourself comfortable."

When everyone was seated and happily snacking away, Hermione began to succinctly explain the marriage law, the purpose behind it, and her role in its execution. 10 minutes later she clasped her hands on the tabletop and looked around. "Any questions so far?"

Hermione let the question float in the air for a moment to give everyone a chance to digest the information.

"This purpose of the law is horrible. But the way you might have saved us all from doom could work if we manage to get this right." Padma tucked a strand of her long black hair behind an ear. "You sort of explained what my role would be when you recruited me. But could you explain what our duties would be so I can get the whole picture of the purpose of this council?"

Four other heads nodded in agreement and turned to Hermione in expectation.

"Excellent question, Padma." Hermione took a quick breath and launched into another explanation.

When she paused to take a breath, Harry jumped in. "Sorry. This might be a stupid question, and no offense is intended, but Padma is a historian. Why is she working on the spell with Luna? Wouldn't you want an accomplished caster?" Harry swiped a hand through his perpetually messy hair as he finished his question.

"It's interesting you should mention that. Harry, Luna, Mr. Malfoy," she nodded at each as she spoke their names, "you might remember Padma from school as a particularly bright Ravenclaw, but you might not know much of what she does these days. Padma has a special proclivity for languages. She can speak, read, and write 32 languages fluently. I've worked with her a few times to translate various texts crucial to my own writing. As this spell was written in Middle English, rather than Latin, I can't imagine a better translator to make sure we get this right."

Padma ducked her head a bit at the compliment. "You're being too humble, Hermione. Your translation skills are far from subpar."

"Perhaps in Latin. But certainly not in Middle English! You're help will be crucial!"

"But - and again, no offense intended- couldn't you just use a translation charm? That's what I do for my special reports after a mission on the continent." Harry didn't know why he was questioning Hermione's council picks, maybe because - despite the delicious grilled cheese sandwiches- he was still annoyed at his friend for asking him to be involved.

"Translation charms are fantastic for simple things, but they translate literally. You miss the meaning behind the words and the figurative language. Those things can completely change the meaning of a sentence. And a long spell like this one needs to be as accurate as possible - not just the words, but their original intent as well. We'll be saying the spell in the original language, as we would with any other simple one, but if we don't understand the meaning and the stress of the words, we could mess up the whole thing. Isn't that right, Padma?" Everyone stared at Luna as she finished her explanation. Of course, Hermione knew Luna was brilliant, but it came as a shock to everyone else around the table if the dropped jaws and raised eyebrows were any indication.

Padma smiled at her fellow Ravenclaw. "That's exactly right, Luna. I work with all kinds of different professions to make sure their work is as accurate as possible, from authors - like Hermione - to Unspeakables."

Mrs. Malfoy finally inserted herself into the meeting. "I'm disappointed in this administration for even considering this law, but now that it's in effect, we must do our best with it. I'm very much looking forward to both planning the gala for which the law will be debuted, and for rallying those in the upper echelons of society to your side, Ms. Granger."

Hermione smiled at the older lady and turned towards Harry. "You'll be working to curb public resentment and to encourage support of the law. It might help to work with Mrs. Malfoy to accomplish that."

Harry gave a slight smile to the Malfoy matriarch, "perhaps she could give me some pointers on interacting with the press. I'm not a huge fan of speaking with reporters."

"Certainly, Mr. Potter. But also consider that a lot can be done by word-of-mouth. Simply holding a few conversations with people who could be called... " here Mrs. Malfoy paused in search of a kind label, "busy bodies... can go a long way to further your cause."

The table went quiet for a moment as the idea of Mrs. Malfoy working with Harry Potter was quite hard to picture.

Except for the Harry's few unnecessary questions, Hermione was pleased with how well the meeting was running. She was surprised at how quickly the time had flown. With only 15 minutes left, she still had to explain what Draco and Luna would be doing and discuss the next steps.

Hermione turned towards Luna with a smile, "your expertise in spell experimentation and the mastery in which you cast will come in handy both in making sure the spell is correct and when it comes time to cast it at the gala."

"Thank you, Hermione. Experimentation runs in the family, you know. My mother was quite talented before one of her experiments backfired and killed her." Luna spoke so matter of factly that the rest of the table was shocked into silence.

The conversation had to continue, despite that shocking explanation. "Right. And Mr. Malfoy and I will be working on getting the potion brewed perfectly and in large quantity in time for the gala. Now that we know each others' job descriptions, are there any questions? I know we only have a few minutes left, and I'd like to just set up the next meeting or give you all a few minutes to talk with each other before we are through."

Draco decided it was time to speak up, "did you mention when the deadline given by the Wizengamot would be? I might have missed that."

"Right! Right, so we have six months from last Tuesday to have everyone paired and married. I thought the sooner we could hold the gala and cast the spell the longer everyone would have to come to terms with the idea. It would also give everyone the chance to get to know the person they would be marrying. So, I guess we only need to work together until then. Mrs. Malfoy, how soon do you think you could pull off a function this big?"

"If you want quality, I'll need a little time. But because I'm old hat at this, I'd say with a little help, I could have the gala planned to perfection in just six weeks." Mrs. Malfoy stood up and went back over to the food. "These cupcakes look delightful. I'll just take one for the road, if I may?" She didn't wait for approval but conjured a small box to keep one of the cupcakes in for travel.

"Excellent. Well, let's shoot for six weeks from today then, so end of May." Hermione stood up as well to dismiss the meeting. "Thank you again for meeting during the lunch hour. I'm looking forward to working with all of you and greatly appreciate your help to make this successful."

The group stood up and filtered out of the room quickly, leaving Hermione alone to her thoughts. This was an interesting group, to be sure. But she hadn't been exaggerating when she said she was greatly looking forward to working with them. It would be an exciting next several weeks to be sure. Especially if Malfoy insisted on wearing that green sweater again.

 **A/N** : So I hope that the meeting didn't bore you to tears. I mostly needed to have the characters explain their purpose. There was a little Draco/Hermione action, but not much. Like I said at the beginning- slooow burn!

I thought about including the brunch with Mrs. Malfoy and Hermione, but ultimately decided it was t crucial to the plot. I'm interested in writing t though, so I may post it as a one-shot/outtake type thing. Let me know if you'd be interested in that!

Review please!

Xoxo Court


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: SO SORRY! I don't know what the frickety frack this website was thinking by showing the coding. It's an outrage! Hopefully this works this time (5th times the charm, right?!)

"What is this?" Ron Weasley asked the owl perched in front of him as if it could answer his query. It couldn't so it cocked its head in search of a treat. "Right. You're just an owl." He opened the thick cream envelope and pulled out an elegant card with swirly calligraphy and shimmering gold embellishments. "Bit much, you think?" He was still talking to the owl who was still waiting for a treat to thank him for being a good owl. "'You are cordially invited to attend the Spring Gala as the special guest of the Wizengamot. June 1st. 8 o'clock pm. Ministry Atrium.' Blah blah blah 'formal attire.' Blah. 'Floo or apparate into travel room at designated time.' Bloody bossy, isn't it? I hate formal events."

Ron eyed the invitation with disdain when small black lettering appeared at the bottom of the card: Attendance is mandatory or invitee may face 250 galleon fine and up to 30-days in Azkaban. "What the fuck is this about? Pretentious nobs try to sell it up as a fancy party but really it's a stupid trail situation. Can't test them, though. I guess I'll ask Ginny to help me get some decent dress robes." Ron through the invitation onto the tabletop and gathered his cloak and satchel to head into work. "Bloody ministry and their bloody galas. Stupid." He walked out of the house and out to the end of the garden path where he could safely apparate into Hogsmeade for work, mumbling oaths under his breath the whole way. The poor owl continued to sit on the windowsill waiting for a treat.

"Hey, can you come here for a second?" Draco Malfoy stood in front of a yellowed book bigger than his ego. Hermione turned from the list she was making and moved towards her potions partner.

"This word here." Draco pointed to a spot on the page, "Does this translate to aconite?" He glanced up at Hermione in question as she read the place where he indicated.

"I think it does, yes. But we'll want to triple-check with Padma on some of these translations. It's incredibly annoying that the original spell and potion are written in Middle English. We'll need to be very careful with the measurement of that particular ingredient, though -"

Before Hermione could go into her lecture-mode, Draco interrupted good-naturedly, "although aconite is used in Wolfsbane and can be helpful as a heart sedative, in large doses it can be deadly, painfully so. I know. That's why I wanted to be quite sure." He smiled at her to prevent any hard feelings and the shock of seeing him do something so out of character caused her brain to momentarily go on the fritz. But of course, it couldn't be something as simple as Draco Malfoy's smile that was causing her paralysis, perhaps it was the dust from the book. Or the dim lighting of the small room in the basement of the ministry. Or… the weather. Surely that was it.

"Right. Yes. You knew that. I know you know that. I'll just…" Hermione walked slowly backwards to her list and resumed hold of the quill she'd been scribing with. "List. Now."

The blond raised an eyebrow in puzzlement at his partner's bizarre actions but decided it wasn't worth a possible fight to pursue. He turned back to the page and tried to decipher the rest of the ingredient list.

"It's going to be tricky to procure all of these ingredients. If I'm translating them correctly, most of them are difficult to come by and obscenely expensive. You did say we are on the Ministry's sickle, didn't you?" Draco finished up reading the list to the best of his abilities and continued his thoughts without waiting for a response from Hermione. "We should get Padma to look over all of these, and the instructions as well. Just to be safe. I mean, if I wasn't going to be forced to drink it, I might not be taking such exacting care but…" He didn't need to finish his sentence. It went without saying that they were stuck in a horrid situation.

Hermione tried to go the moral high road but her words fell flat. "We should always do everything we do to the best of our abilities." She even tried to sniff in superiority at the end of her statement but it didn't lend credibility and in fact made her sound depressed. Which she was, but who could help it at this point.

"Right…" Draco rolled his eyes and once again decided it wasn't worth the fight. "It's nearly lunch. Care to join me in a well-deserved break? I'm half-starved." Draco stood up from the work bench and grabbed his cloak off the hook by the door.

"But it's Saturday. The Ministry cafeteria is closed today. Where are you going?" Hermione didn't get up.

" _We_. We aren't being given designated lunch hours during this weekend project, are we? We can take a little longer and head into Diagnon Alley. There's a new Asian fusion place I've been meaning to try." Draco waited a beat to see if the curly-haired witch would join him. "As in now, Ms. Granger." He smirked at her reaction and watched her straighten her desk, put her belongings away, and pat down her hair with a strange feeling of almost fondness in his chest. But it couldn't be. It was probably indigestion. Or hunger pains.

Hermione grabbed her cloak and met Draco at the door with a strange look on her face. "You know we've known each other for 11 years now. We've studied together. Now we are working closely together for this Wizengamot thing…" Hermione trailed off and had to gather up her courage once more. "Why don't we drop the formalities? We're very nearly what I'd call acquaintances. Bordering on friends. My friends call me by my first name. Which is Hermione, in case you've forgotten." She smiled in encouragement and his chest did that weird twinging thing again. Hunger pains. Right.

Draco smiled in return, "After you, Hermione." The pair closed and locked the door and went out to enjoy a well-deserved lunch.

A/N: Yes yes I KNOW it's ridiculously short. But in addition to writing this I'm also working on several other lots-of-words-related things so I thought I could give you one scene OR make you wait an undetermined amount of time for more action. I went with the short-but-at-least-it's-something update.

It's not beta'd so obviously you can chalk up any mistakes to my being human. I'll add them to the already long list of things I've done wrong. OR you can review and validate my need for writing HP ff. That'd be nice, too!

Xoxo

Court


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Someone had pissed off the Magical Maintenance Department. The thunder outside her artificial window was shaking the pane and the force of the rain against the glass was deafening. Hermione strongly considered a silencing charm or some kind of stasis spell. Unfortunately, the last time she was caught "interfering" with the MM department, she'd received a rather stern owl to refrain. The point had been reiterated by her boss with an unofficial warning.

Lightening cracked so loudly she could've sworn she heard the sizzle from inside her office. This was not a working environment conducive to, well, _working_. Hermione banged her head against her desk twice, adding to the symphony of the weather. Work. Must work.

"I must say, I keep finding you in questionable states and I'm beginning to become concerned. Are you quite sure you don't need to pop into St. Mungos? At the very, _very_ least you must take a vacation. Please. For your health. Think of your children." A drawling voice jolted her from her misery and Hermione jerked to a stiff upright position.

"You know I don't have children... _Draco_."

"Think of your cat then."

He pushed himself off the door jamb with a light knock of his knuckles and walked over to her double window. "What's with the monsoon? Who did you lecture into a revolt this time?"

Hermione's mind was still caught on how the blond managed to lean so elegantly against door frames, so she missed the question.

"Hermione. The weather. What did you do?" Draco waved a hand in front of her face and leaned one hand on her desk to get down on her level.

"What's with all the graceful leaning?" Thankfully she had mumbled the question under her breath and Draco misheard it.

"Where's all this leading? Sorry?" He looked so adorably confused. If big strong men could look adorable. Hermione considered that for a beat. Yes. Yes, they could.

The brunette shook her head and inserted herself into the conversation, "I mean, of course I didn't do anything wrong and how can I help you? Why are you disturbing me when I'm very busy working?"

"Yes, I could see that you were working. It must have been very difficult to hide your talent for banging knowledge into your head back at school. Gives "hitting the books" a whole new meaning." He chuckled at his word play and turned back to the window.

He was teasing her! The prat. She smiled. "It's hard to concentrate with the -" The thunder shook the window again. "-weather. And of course I didn't do anything. I've been warned not to." She mumbled the last bit, but he caught it.

"Lets go meet with Padma then. I know we'll be a couple hours early but I'm hoping she can squeeze us in. I had a last minute meeting scheduled this afternoon during our original appointment time."

He held out an elbow for her to take and led her from the room as the thunder continued to boom behind them.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I'm a bit concerned that the line after the asterisk is smudged so severely. That's generally a warning or explanation. With a spell and potion this precise and complex it's a little disconcerting to not have all the facts." Padma lifted the thick glasses off her nose and stuck them in her hair like a headband. She gestured to the giant tome in front of her.

"Everything else I've managed to translate as closely as possibly to the original intent. You should have no problem following the recipe now!"

Draco was leaning again. This time he'd found a sturdy bookshelf packed with leather-bound books in a variety of languages.

"So that really was aconite?"

"Yes. Admittedly, I don't know much of Potions beyond NEWT- level. But I'd be very cautious working with that particular ingredient at the volume that you will be." Padma opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a thin stack of parchment. "Here you are, Hermione. I've copied the translations here so you have easier access. I only have one copy of the spell translation so far, but Luna's working with it today, so you'll have to replicate it later."

Hermione took the proffered pages and bundled them neatly into her satchel with a smile. "This is really excellent, Padma. Thank you. How's working with Luna? Have you made any progress?"

"It's gone just fine. Luna and I have been working together on the wand movement. It's quite intricate! But we should be ready to perform the spell in four weeks."

Padma shuffled a little restlessly and leaned towards Hermione. "Are you excited? At all? It's sort of romantic to be finding out _Soul Mates_! I hadn't intended to get married until my 30's - too much to do, _you_ know how it is, Hermione. But this... it's still a little exciting, for me."

To be quite honest, Hermione was so busy with the details of the whole thing that she often forgot about the end goal. Soul Mates. Ugh. She agreed with Padma about the whole thing occurring at an inopportune time. But of course she had to keep a brave face. "Oh, yes of course I'm excited. _Romance_. Wonderful!" Had she laid it on too thick? Padma didn't seem to notice, but Draco had paused in his perusal of the bookshelf and snorted at her gushing sentiments.

She scowled at him, but he only smirked in response. Git.

"Well, we'd better be going. Don't want to bother you too much in the middle of the work day. Have a nice weekend, Padma." Draco made this announcement as he crossed the room and opened the door. "Coming, Hermione?"

Though he didn't seem to notice, she blushed faintly at his double entendre and breezed past him, "Thanks again Padma! Happy Friday!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was still storming when they arrived back at her office. This time it sounded like a tornado was just outside the window.

Hermione groaned. "What did I even do?"

"I'm friendly with the head of department. Want me to have a quick word for you?" Draco grinned down the frustrated brunette.

Normally she wouldn't need his help. But the sad truth of the matter was she had a feeling she had deeply offended someone. And she had no clue what to do about it. She sighed in defeat. "Yes. Please help. I can't work in these conditions."

He never used to consider himself the hero. He was the _baddie_ after all, but being able to come to Hermione's rescue gave him a nice warm feeling in his chest vicinity. "I'll just pop in and have a quick word with him then. Can't have our meetings in here with this racket."

Before she could respond, Draco had left. All for the better. She could barely hear him over the noise. This really wasn't going to work for her today. She gathered her belongings, locked the door, and headed up to the cafe on the Minister's level. She rarely liked to take advantage of her position, but as a member of the Wizangamot - even a non-voting one - she was able to use the fancy tea room upstairs. And now was the perfect opportunity.

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A/N: I hope y'all caught that one very important clue. Review and give me your suspicions!

Xoxo

Court


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch**. **7**

 **A/N: hey y'all! Before I give you the new chap I just wanted to reply to a comment left by a guest. I 100% understand if you don't appreciate certain aspects of my story, but guess what? It's my story. No one is forcing you to read and then review with such a bitter 'tude. You're right, Hermione absolutely knew the procedure to visit an Unspeakable. But I have personal experience of knowing someone who is brilliant and given lots of attention who often cuts corners just because of "who he is." And it works for him 99% of the time. So** **in my mind, that attitude is one that Hermione has developed (Harry on the other hand took the opposite route). Regarding the language of the Merlin spell - she found it in a text about Merlin written in Middle English. So the spell is in Middle English. Maybe if a Celtic author had written it it would be in Celtic like you seem to think, but they** **didn't. Also, I can't translate Celtic, but I can Middle English. So if I wanted to include anything in the future, I'd be more comfortable having it in a language I've studied. So yah.**

 **Sorry for the long note. Just wanted to address the guest publicly in case anyone else was feeling annoyed or confused!**

 **Carry on**!

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The rich aroma of roasting coffee beans and the sweet scent of warm pastries hit Hermione in the face as she opened the door to Thyme for Tea. Originally she had planned on spending the whole day in the Minister's special tea room, but she'd received a note from Narcissa Malfoy that made her change plans.

"Hermione, darling!" A slender hand waved briefly from the back corner table, beckoning Hermione to join. "I've taken the liberty of ordering the full afternoon tea, with _extra_ cucumber sandwiches." Narcissa Malfoy gave her a knowing wink. "I know it's a bit early in the day, but I think this might take us a long while." The blonde gestured to the bound parchments full of cloth samples, pictures, and handwritten notes opened in front of her.

"Oh. Mrs. Malfoy -"

"Narcissa, dear. We're working so _closely_ together and you've become _quite_ close with my son. I'd say we've _definitely_ reached the first name basis stage of our relationship." Narcissa smiled and took a delicate sip of her Oolong.

"Narcissa, I don't need to be so involved with the planning. After all, you're brilliant at it! And I'm _rubbish_ at party stuff. Just ask Ginny how her hen party turned out." For someone who adored the nitty gritty of research and Potions, Hermione really disliked the details of party planning. _Really_ disliked.

"Yes. But I'd like your opinion anyway." Narcissa had such a look of hopeful anticipation on her face that Hermione couldn't help but give in. Not because she wanted to, mind, but because she could tell Narcissa was manipulating her and she didn't want to cause a fuss and call her out on it. So she played along.

"Of course. Explain to me the plans so far?" Hermione helped herself to some tasty bites and listened as Narcissa outlined her plans.

"Now, we've used the cream and gold with the invitations, and those are the colors I _intended_ to utilize throughout the whole ball. With pops of pastels of course - it _is_ spring. Never deviate from the tried and true, I always say!"

"Of _course_ not." Hermione murmured her agreement but was still caught up looking at the beautiful color palette displayed in front of her. She fingered the pale blue linen square. "These are the napkins?"

"Yes! So you see that the color scheme is _quite_ finalized as I've made the orders for everything except the flowers."

"Good. This will be beautiful, Narcissa."

" _Except_. I went to the florist this morning and he presented me with this rose he's created that's simply _stunning_. It's an English Rose, opened full and smells _heavenly_. The only problem is the color. It's a soft _gray_."

Narcissa looked so forlorn at the thought of the mismatched flower that Hermione couldn't help but feel a small sense of amusement. So much energy into a color scheme. Silly.

"But the palette is pastels?"

"And gold. There in lies the rub. We _can't_ have a gray flowers dominating the center pieces when the flatware is _gold_. The place card holders are _gold_. The etching on the Chinaware is _gold._ It just won't _do_. Opinions?"

"Isn't gray a pastel though? Just add it in other places. More than the flowers, I mean. Then perhaps it will look more blended." Hermione thought deeply and asked her companion to see the rose.

"I've got it in my bag." Narcissa pulled out a light bloom in a soft gray. Almost off white color. " _Beautiful_ , no?"

"Beautiful is an understatement. I can see why you felt we had to have these. We _have_ to have these! I think my original idea will work, though, now that I've seen the rose. Just add this color into the other aspects of the party as if it were another pastel accent and _violà_! Perfect."

Narcissa was pleased that her little ploy had managed to fool the young woman in front of her. In fact, she'd already ordered 500 of the gray roses and another several hundred of a variety of pastel blooms.

Besides, no harm was intended. She simply wanted to spend time with Hermione in a casual manner. What was better than tea? Narcissa also wanted the girl to like her. She had a very strong feeling she'd be seeing a lot more of the brunette if the constant praise from her son was anything to go by. It was subtle, but a mother knows. And there was no better way to get someone to like you than to let them solve a problem of yours. At least in her considerable experience.

The two women chatted about the party and continued to detail it for a couple hours, long enough to work their way through the full tea and begin on a fourth pot.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I'll take another raspberry scone, please. And some more hot water." Hermione gave her order to the waiter but didn't look away from the calligraphy that Narcissa was creating on the notecard between them.

"Hermione? We had a meeting this evening. Did you forget?" Harry Potter stood at the table with a confused expression.

"Oh! I thought you were the waiter. Sorry." She grinned an apology and kept from her seat to give her friend a hug. "My meeting went long with Narcissa. I apologize! Join us."

Hermione yanked his arm down and Harry sat hard into the chair next to hers. "I haven't got time for this Hermione. I've already left the office. When you didn't show up for the meeting I sent you a memo to reschedule and have come to the Alley to get some fresh coffee beans for Ginny. You know how she is about the blonde roast."

Guilt swept through her. Followed by indignation. Honestly. Couldn't he try to understand the pressure she was under here? "Harry, I'm _sorry_ for missing the meeting but if you'd just take a few moments to have some cake, a little tea, we could talk right here."

She shoved a bit of lemon pound cake into a plate and slid it in front of him.

"Try the strawberry pie, too. Delicious." Narcissa held the serving tray out to Harry, offering him more treats.

"Coffee beans. I _just_ needed coffee beans. Hermione, Mrs. Malfoy. We'll have to reschedule this _delightful_ meal another time." Before Hermione could react, Harry got up from his seat, took his recently purchased beans and fled the scene, the door chime tinkling in his wake.

"My goodness. I'm afraid we've insulted him somehow!" Narcissa almost managed to look bewildered and contrite at the same time. It was a fascinating facial expression.

"Thank you so much for tea, Narcissa. You've done a wonderful job with the gala. I'm very excited to see what more you accomplish in the upcoming weeks." Hermione settled a few galleons on the table corner and left as quickly as Harry. Presumably to catch up with the man.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Harry! _Harry_!" Hermione rushed after her best friend and attempted to catch him to explain. "Harry James Potter! You stop this instant!"

He stopped suddenly, but kept his back to Hermione. If he'd taken just a few more steps he'd have been in the apparition spot. So close.

"Harry." Hermione breathed heavily and pressed her hand into her side. Merlin. She needed to do more cardio. "I'm sorry I missed our meeting. _Really_. My meeting with Narcissa went much later than expected. It was very _important_."

He finally turned towards the winded girl and pushed a hand through his hair. His anger was gone and now he was left with an empty exhaustion. He didn't want to fight.

"I'm out. I'll talk your little plan up to people if they ask. But no reporters. No grand schemes. No more meetings-" Hermione's bottom lip stuck out involuntarily at this announcement. "-just no more. I'm _tired_ , Hermione. _Done_. To be perfectly honest I'm a bit disappointed that you asked me to be a part of this without keeping up with me. I love you, but I think we need to spend a week or two apart to reevaluate what our friendship means."

He stepped back and disappeared with a pop.

No more meetings? Reevaluate their friendship? Hermione was frozen with shock. What did this mean for her plan?

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A/N: yikes. Quite the blow there from Harry. I had someone say they wanted to reevaluate a friendship with me because I was too obsessed with my "important work" and was missing what they needed from me. It hurts. But sometimes you have to check yourself! Hermione is in for a reality check for sure. Success means nothing if you don't have friends or family to share it with! She'll learn.

Speaking of important work, I actually have a lot going on at work in the upcoming weeks, so chapters may be few and far between. Thus, why I gave you this update so quickly.

I'd be much more inclined to use designated sleep time as writing time if you review!

Xoxo

Court


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